Web roll changer



June 30, 1931. H. v. BALL ET'AL 1,811,872

WEB ROLL CHANGER Fileg qugjafl, 192 s 9' mvau'rons /6 A'rf rs".

Patented June 30, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY V. BALL, 01?CONCORD, MASSACHUSETTS, AND WALTER OGDEN, 0F CLEVE- LAND, OHIO,ASSIGNORS TO B. HOE & CO'., INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OFNEW YORK WEB ROLL cmena Application filed August 17, 1925. Serial No.50,536.

This invention relates to certain improve ments in roll changers forprinting machines and methods of controlling the web tension in theseroll changers.

It is the especial object of the invention to provide an improved webroll changer and a tension controlling device for the web roll runningto the printing press by which the desired tension can be put on therunning roll, and the expiring web readily and easily joined or pastedto a spare roll, the tension device acting to provide the desired webcontrol as the roll decrease-s in size.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved rollchanger which is capacitated to carry a plurality of web rolls, such asa running roll and a spare roll, which may be manipulated to bring thespare roll into position to be conveniently joined to an expiring weband then into engagement with the tension controlling device.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for simply andeasily adjusting the surface tension exerted by the web controllingdevice on the roll.

With these and other objects not specifically referred to, the inventionconsists in certain novel parts, arrangements and combinations whichwill be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and thenovel features pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed. I

The drawings show, diagrammatically, a roll changer embodying theinvention, and in these drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rollsupport capacitated to carry two rolls, the parts being shown in theposition they occupy when a spare roll is being loaded on the support;

Figure 2 is asimilar view showing the parts in the position they occupywhen running; and

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the parts in the position they occupyafter a spare roll has been joined in the running web and before theparts are moved to the position shown in Figure 1.

Referring now to these drawings, the invention has been illustrated inconnection with a roll support capacitated to hold two difierent forms.In the particular construction shown, theroll support is in the form ofa pair of straight arms, one of which is shown, marked 1, centrallymounted on each end of shaft 2. The ends of these arms are provided withbearings 3, 4, in which are supported the running roll R and spare rollS. These arms, it will be observed, extend on each side of the shaft 2.The rolls may be loaded into the support in any suitable manner as froma truck indicated by 5 in Figure 1.

Arranged conveniently adjacent this support, so as to engage a rollcarried therein, is the improved tension controlling device. Thistension controlling device is of such character as to yieldingly engagethe roll and may conveniently take the form of belts or blankets 6. Inconstructions embodying the invention, where blankets or belts areemployed, one end of the belt or blanket is fixed so that it has notraveling movement and, in the construction shown, the fixed point islocated outside or away from the roll support. As shown, the lower endof the blanket is fixed to a support 14 hereinafter referred to.

In this instance the upper end of the controlling device is free to moveso that it will follow up the roll with the desired tension. Whilevarious means may be provided for thus supporting the free end of theblanket, in the particular construction shown the blanket passes over apair of guide rolls 9, 10, and is yieldingly held in contact with theroll surface by means of a Weight W. In the best construction thisweight is adjustable so that the degree of tension exerted by theblanket on the roll surface may be varied as desired. With this end inView, the weight is divided into several sections 11 secured on a rod 12to which the free end 13 of the blanket is secured.

While the support to which the end of the blanket is fixed may bevaried, as shown, it is fixed to a roll 14 which is preferably carriedon a pivoted arm 15, as indicated at 16. This arm is proportioned sothat, with a full web roll, the roll 14 is located at a point in advanceof the vertical axis of the roll so that the blanket is caused to hugthe surface of the roll for a large portion of its periphery. From theroll the web marked X goes to the press, not shown, through the usualdraw-E rolls 17, 18.

The support is rotatable by any suitable means, not shown. In theoperation of the I device a roll is loaded into the support and the Webthreaded into the press and thesupport then rotated, as shown in Figure1, and the running roll is brought under control of the blanket. A spareroll may now be loaded into the support and when this is done thesupport is further rotated to the running position shown in Figure 2. Asthe running roll decreases in size, the pull of the weight holds theblanket in close contact with the periphery of the roll. It will beobserved that as the roll decreases in size the hug of the blanketdecreases, that is, engages less of the roll surface so that the tensionon the roll is kept uniform during the run. After the running roll haspractically expired, the support may be rotated so as to bring the spareroll conveniently adjacent the web. At this time the press may bestopped and the expiring web joined to the spare roll by the pressman.If desired, the support may be rotated to press the new roll against theweb and belt and thus paste them together while the press is running,the rotation of the new roll being started by hand. The support is thenfurther rotated to discharge the expired roll spindle and to bring thespare roll, now the running roll, into contact with the belt. The partsare then further rotated to the position shown in Figure 1, anotherspare loaded into the support, and the support then moved to the runningposition shown in Figure 2, this operation being repeated as long as thepress is operated. It will be seen from the above that the new roll isrotated against the fixed belt. and the belt is held at a point by meansof a pivoted guide which is inside the arc of rotation of the rollsupport. With this method of operating, the spare roll may be quicklyand easily joined to an expiring web, it being understood that paste orother suitable adhesive is applied to a portion of the spare roll beforepasting, and the web and the spare rollare pressed together. By the useof the fixed belt against which the roll is moved a good control of theweb is obtained, and the web fed into the press under the requiredconstant tension. It will also be observed that by leaving one end ofthe belts free, and providing the free ends with suitable tensioningmeans, as the Weights, the pull exerted on the belts is in the samedirection as the rotation of the roll. This hasthe effect of producing agood engagement of the belts with the roll surface.

While the invention has been shown and described in a preferred andpractical form,

1. In a roll changer, the combination of a running web roll and a spareweb roll supported to rotate from loading position to running position,a belt or the like engaging the surface of the running roll throughoutits unwinding and arranged to engage the spare roll when moved intorunning position, said belt being stationary relatively to the rotationof the roll, and a movable support arranged to be moved out of the pathof the roll when the rotary support is rotated for fastening one end ofthe belt at a point independent of the ,roll support, the other end ofthe belt being free to maintain the belt under tension and the beltfollowing the roll as it decreases in size, and tensioning 1gneansconnected with the free end of the e t.

2. In a roll changer, the combination of a running web roll and a spareweb roll supported to move from loading position to running position, abelt or the like enga Tng the surface of the running roll throug out itsunwinding and arranged to engage the spare roll when moved into runningposition, said belt being stationary relatively to the rotation of theroll, a movable support for fastening one end of the belt at a pointindependent of the roll support, the other end of the belt being free tomaintain the belt un der tension and the belt following the roll as itdecreases in size, guides over which the free end of the belt runs, anda weight secured to the free end of the belt.

3. In a roll changer, the combination of a running web roll and a spareroll supported to move from loading position to running position, a beltor the like engaging the surface of the running roll throughout itsunwinding and arranged to engage the spare roll when moved into runningposition, said" belt being stationary relatively to the rotation of theroll, a pivoted support carrying one end of the belt and mounted at apoint independent of the roll support, the other end of the belt beingfree to maintain the belt under tension and the belt following the rollas it decreases in size, guides over which the free end'of the beltruns, and a weight secured to the free end of the belt.

4:. In a roll changer, the combination of a running web roll and a spareroll, arms in which the rolls are supported, a shaft for the armsrotatable to move the web roll from loading position to running positionand from running position to discharging position and into therotatingposition,abeltor the like engaging the surface of the runningroll throughout its unwinding and arranged to engage the spare roll whenmoved into running position, said belt extending under the roll andbeing stationary relatively to the rotation of the roll, a pivotedsupport arranged to be moved out ofthe path of the roll when the rotarysupport is rotated carrying-one end of the belt and mounted at a pointindependent of the roll support, and means for maintaining thebelt undertens1on.

5. In a roll changer, the combination of a running web roll and a spareroll, arms in which the rolls are supported, a shaft for the armsrotatable to move the web roll from loading position to running positionand from running position to discharging position and then to rotatingposition, a belt or the like engaging the surface of the run ning rollthroughout its unwinding and arranged to engage the spare roll whenmoved into running position, said belt extending under the roll andbeing stationary relatively to the rotation of the roll, a pivotedsupport carrying one end of the belt and mounted at a point independentof the roll support, guides over which the other end of the belt passes,and a weight secured to said other end of the belt. I

6. In a roll changer, the combination of a running web roll and a spareweb roll, a rotary carrier in which the rolls are mounted arranged tomove from loading position to running position, a belt or the likeengaging the surface of the running roll throughout its unwinding andarranged to engage the spare roll when rotated into running position,said belt being stationary relatively to the rotation of the roll, meansarranged to be moved out of the path of the roll when the carrier isrotated for fastening one end of the belt at a point independent of andat a point below the roll support, the other end of the belt being freeto maintain the belt under tension and the belt following the roll as itdecreases in size, and tensionmeans connected with the free end of the7. In a-roll changer, the combination of a running web roll and a spareroll supported to move from loading position to running position, a beltor the like engaging the surface of the running roll throughout itsunwinding and arragned to engage the spare roll when moved into runningposition, said belt being stationary relatively to the rotation of theroll, means arranged to be moved out of the path of the roll when thesupport is moved for fastening one end of the belt at a pointindependent of the roll support and at the side of the vertical axis ofthe running roll opposite the unwinding web, and means for maintainingthe belt under tension.

8. In a roll changer, the combination of a running web roll and a spareweb roll, a rotary carrier for supporting the rolls and arranged torotate from loading position to running position, a belt or the likeengaging the surface of the running roll throughout its unwinding andarranged to engage the spare roll when rotated into running position,said belt being stationary relatively to the rotation of the roll, meansarranged to be moved out of the path of the roll when the carrier isrotated for fastening one end of the belt at a point-independent of theroll support and at, the side of the vertical axis of the running rollopposite the unwinding web, and means for maintaining the belt un dertension.

9. The method of effecting a change of web rolls in a press whichconsists in supporting a running web roll and a spare roll so that therunning roll may engage a belt or the like throughout its unwinding,which belt is fixed at a 'point independent of the support and to oneside of thevertical axis of the running roll opposite the unwinding web,said belt being under a constant tension to tension the web, moving thespare roll intov pasting position and pasting the web and a spare rolltogether, and moving the new running roll into running position, and thebelt support being arranged tobe moved out of the path of the runningroll when the spare roll is moved into pasting position.

10. In a roll changer, the combination of a running web roll and a spareweb roll and a support therefor arranged to move from loading positionto running position, a belt engaging the surface of the running roll asa it unwinds, means at a point below the roll support for fastening oneend of the belt and arranged to be moved out of the path of the rollwhen the support is rotated, the other end being free, and tensioningmeans secured to the free end of the belt and exerting a pull thereon inthe direction of the run of the unwinding web. a

11. In a roll changer the combination with n a rotary supportcapacitated to support a spare roll and a running roll, a belt engagingthe surface of the running roll, and a pivoted support to which one endof the belt is secured located well to one side of the vertical axis ofthe roll in running position so as to provide a wide area of contact ofthe belt on the running roll and arranged to be moved out. of the pathof the roll when the support is rotated.

12. In a roll changer the combination of a rotary support capacitated tosupport a spare roll and a running roll," a belt engaging the surface ofthe running roll,a movable sup port to which one end of the belt isfastlocated well to one side of the vertical axis of the roll in runningposition so as to provide a wide area of contact of thebelt on therunning roll and arranged to be moved out of the path of the roll whenthe support is rotated, the other end of the belt being free to maintainthe belt under tension, and the 7 belt following the roll as itdecreases in size, and tensioning means-connected with the free end ofthe belt. I

13. In a roll changer the combination with a rotary support capacitatedto support a spare roll and a running roll, a flexible friction deviceengaging the surface of the running roll, and a support to which one endof 10 the flexible friction device is secured, which support is locatedwell to one side of the vertical axis of the roll in running position soas to provide a wide area of contact of the belt on the running roll andarranged to be 5 moved out of the path of the roll when the support isrotated.

14. In a roll changer, the combination of a rotary supportcapacitated-to support a spare roll and a running roll, a flexiblefriction device engaging the surface of the running roll, and a supportto which one end of the flexible friction device is secured, said devicesup-. port being normally within the space through which the web rollpasses when the rotary support isturned.

15. In a roll changer, the combination of a rotary support capacitatedto support a spare roll and a running roll, a flexiblefriction deviceengaging the surface of the running roll,

and a support to which one end of the flexible friction device issecured, said device support being normally within the space throughwhich the web roll passes when the rotary sup ort is turned and movableout of said space by the pressure of the web roll.

16. In a roll changer, a-rotatable web roll carrier adapted to carry aspare web roll and a running web roll, a tension device including a beltsupport therefor, said support being 40 located within the space throughwhich the web rolls pass when the carrier is rotated,

and a belt engaging the surface of the running roll and having one endfastened to the belt support and the other end held yieldingly undertension.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands.

' HARRY V. BALL.

WALTER OGDEN.

